Customer Reviews

Everything In Transit

5 star:		(337)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I won't waste my time and yours by doing a full review of 'Everything In Transit', Jack's Mannequin's flawless gem of an album; there is already ample gushing in the review section of the disc's original release. What I will do is tell you why, even if you already own the album, you owe it to yourself to purchase this re-release for the spectacular DVD footage it contains.

If you've never seen piano-playing frontman Andrew McMahon play a live show before, you're in for a treat. The 24 year old is a born entertainer and one of the most charismatic young performers you'll ever have the pleasure of encountering. But the shows recorded here are exceptional in that they represent the singer's return to the stage after a battle with leukemia that very nearly claimed his life. The first show on the disc took place a mere 100 days after the stem cell transplant that saved him and there is a touching irony to the record's seemingly carefree lyrics as Andrew, rail-thin and still bald from chemotherapy, sings, 'California in the summer / and my hair is growing long'. If the fans in the audience appear subdued, it is out of sheer relief. And after all he's been through, McMahon delivers a quiet but pitch-perfect set sprinkled with dialogue that is upbeat, gracious, and even, endearningly, a little nervous.

The second show set in New York City has a completely different vibe. Now sporting one of his trademark nerdy sweater vests and a headful of reassuring fluffy regrowth, McMahon gives his fans the kind of show they've come to expect from him; the kind that rocks one's face off. And while he's still a long way from flipping his piano over and lighting it aflame, stunts he was infamous for during his Something Corporate days, it is clear that his irrepressible energy and enthusiasm for music has returned full force.

And if that weren't enough, the disc also includes two beautifully crafted music videos. The animated floral explosion that is The Mixed Tape Version One (animated because McMahon was physically unable to record a video at the time it was released) and the stunningly gorgeous Dark Blue, which features a painful looking 40's era dance marathon (watch for Tommy Lee's cameo).

So, boys and girls, if you've always wanted to see a pheonix rise up from the ash, well, here's your chance. Despite being entirely too short, the poignant and triumphant live performances included with this rerelease are well worth the full price. And you can always use another copy of Everything In Transit, you know, for when your other one melts from overplaying. ;)

Andrew McMahon, the brains behind Something Corporate, has set a new height for following piano rock competitors.

Starting off the album with a nice sing along song, Holiday from Real, that combines curse words at just the right intervals, something I adore because it isn't often that you can hear a song where the cussing doesn't make the song sounds dirty or raunchy. Just a nice song that appeals to the dreamlike quality of a nice holiday on the beach.

The Mixed Tape, the album's first single, isn't my first choice. It sounds too much like Something Corporate, though slightly more dancey. Interesting lyrics that show thought behind them, rather than a nonsense song that no one can relate to. Mixed tapes are making a big comeback in society and I agree with Andrew when he says, "I look at a mixed tape as kind of like the most romantic gesture in the world."

Bruised would have to be one of my favorites, which tells a perfect story of a boy unable to leave someone behind. I enjoy the whole CD which in it's entirety tells a beautiful story I couldn't have said better myself. Adding in metaphorical but easy to understand plotlines, one of Andrew's better pieces. It really has a great beat to it.

I'm Ready is another one of my favorites, though I suppose I'll be saying that throughout this review, considering my biased love of the tunes. A nice song for anyone who's had their heart broken recently as a sort of "get out of bed and do something good for yourself" kind of theme. The speaking at the beginning and end of the song are amazing and couldn't give a better picture into Andrew's life. "My life has become a boring pop song and everyone is singing along." A wonderful line.

La La Lie, an incredible song with upbeat sounds and downbeat lyrics. A sad, soft tune that you can't help but hum along to. I find myself scribbling the lyrics all over my papers at school because it just rolls of the tongue so easily. "The space man that can't get high" makes me think of The Astronaut by Something Corporate and makes the album hit really close to home.

Dark Blue, in my opinion, would have been a better first single for the band to release though many disagree with me. It combines gorgeous piano melodies with appealing and relatable lyrics. The song comes together perfectly at the end when the verse "we were boxing the stars" flows perfectly and I can't help but close my eyes and soak the song in, understanding perfectly what Andrew was thinking when he wrote the song. My favorite I think.

Miss Delaney is a good tune too, with adorable lyrics like "she's the vinyl queen from my surfer dream" and "she's so good but she's no good for me." A nice tune about a girl tempted to cheat as far as I can tell. Still a nice song and easy to dance to.

Kill the Messenger was the second song of Jack's Mannequin I ever listened to, long before the album was released. It's definitely a different side of Andrew, much different from anything Something Corporate ever released. It makes Andrew almost seem god-like, from the lyrics "I'm gonna send a little rain your way." I think it's an interesting comparison to the fan-base that has become increasingly dependent upon him. He has become almost a god-like person.

Rescued is another beautiful song, quiet and calming, a great song to listen to when you're going to sleep. Amazing lyrics which add to the effect of the piano playing. Not really a song that can be described until you listen to it.

MFEO part one and two. An amazing combination of contradicting tones. Starting off with an over-the top orchestra assembly and a tune that strikes me as something that I can't understand, other than a 50's but modern sounding song. Several drug references in the song, as throughout the album, but used in a poetic sense much like the cursing that leaves you with an overall feeling of joy. Ending the song and then going directly into a quiet piano solo of merely a few notes that leaves the listener at a loss of words. The lyrics of you can breathe are amazing in every sense of the word. Indescribable until you can listen to it and hear the song dripping of piano. I love the way Andrew adds in "where are you now?" tying the song back to the Mixed Tape and letting the whole album run together.

Into the Airwaves was a perfect finishing song, with the lyrics "so hang on/ it's going to be a hard day/ don't panic/ there simply is no need," you leave the album feeling refreshed and clean, like taking a shower after a day of working in the mud. It perfectly describes the feeling of everything you come out of the album thinking of.

Overall my favorite album of all times. Wonderfully written, ordered, played and everything else that goes into it.

Well, since the only kind of this cd at the store when I bought it was the edited one, I'll happily comment on the edited version.

1. Holiday From Real - First off, this is only one of two songs on this cd that cusses. This is a good one. Great intro. Good bass. Catchy chorus. 9/10

2. The Mixed Tape - First single. Good choice. It has the emotion behind it and hits home with a rocking beat and addicting guitar throughout the whole thing. And as always, the trademark Andrew McMahon piano solo, which in this song reminds me of the one in "Hurricane" by Something Corporate, (Andrew's other band of course.)10/10

3. Bruised - Catchy. Almost a techno beat to it with piano. Very good chorus that stays in your head. 9/10

4. I'm Ready - One of the best songs on the cd. First, the intro is awesome. I've never heard a song begin like that and be so intruiging. Deep lyrics on this one. I love the spoken part that Andrew offers in the middle of it. 10/10

5. La La Lie - I like the lyrics on this one. Very real. You can tell these things really happened to McMahon. And the "la la's" in the back add a good element to it. 9/10

6. Dark Blue - The beginning of this song reminds me of something you'd hear in at a piano recital. Maybe I'm weird, but that's what I thought of right off. Other than that, it's one of the only iffy tracks on the cd for me. Good, not great. 7/10

7. Miss Delaney - This one says the word f--- in it somewhere, thus being edited. Great lyrics. The chorus is interesting and straight forward. 8/10

8. Kill The Messenger - Good one. It's a bit more melancholy and angst-filled. Still has some great piano parts and keeps your ears tuned. I love the part "I'm gonna send the rain your way." It's awesome. Everyone's felt that way to someone. 9/10

9. Rescued - Very very mellow song. This one has some lyrics that tell a good story. The whole mood of the song reminds me of "Ruthless" by Something Corporate. Same mood, although Ruthless is much better. This one still is totally incredible. 9/10

10. MFEO:
Part 1: We Were Made For Each Other - Great stuff. Catchy and a universal collection of feelings that we've all felt to a special someone. And questions all of us have asked ourselves about that perfect relationship. 9/10

Part 2: You Can Breath Now - Favorite part of the album for me. The lyrics are mind-blowing. The piano intro is the better that anything I've heard from Andrew/Something Corporate. Simply a fantastic song. Tommy Lee's drum work is incredible as well on this one. Catchy and meaningful. 10/10

11. Into The Airwaves - Another song I love. The piano in this one is beautiful. And it's a unstoppable chorus. The lyrics and almost cryptic yet are clear as a bell. Very real feeling to this song. 10/10

Overall, 10/10 for the whole CD. This was something I was looking forward to for a long time since the day I heard about Jack's Mannequin. I love Something Corporate. And the very fact that this CD has so much emotion and memory of Andrew McMahon's lukemia fight. Best wishes to him and God bless. Buy this cd. It's a perfect story of the broad spectrum of human emotion.

Earlier this year, Ben Fold's released a relatively serious album in Songs for Silverman thus leaving the smart-alec pop genre without a leader. First out the cannon to try to grab the crown is Jack's Mannequin. The band is the brainchild of Something Corporate's keyboard player, Andrew McMahon. Tommy Lee makes appearance on the album paying back McMahon who contributed to Lee's recently released Tommyland: The Ride.

Musically, Jack's Mannequin's debut album, Everything in Transit, sounds like a combination of early Weezer without the loud guitars mixed with The Beach Boys without the harmonies. The album starts off with Holiday From Real, a bouncy song that could fit on any Ben Folds Five album and anthem for any slacker, "But if you left it up to me, everyday would be a holiday from real." The next song is a topic very close to my heart, The Mixed Tape. Unlike McMahon, I can't write and perform my feelings, but like him, with a mix tape, "It's like I wrote every note with my own fingers."

To keep with the nerd rock theme, he pulls a talking interlude during I'm Ready just like Nada Surf did in Popular. And I'm Ready brings up interesting social issues too, "I put on the same clothes I wore yesterday. When did society decide that we had to change and wash a tee shirt after every individual use: If it's not dirty, I'm gonna wear it." Preach on brother McMahon, I've been wondering that for years. At the end of the rant he says, "My life has become a boring pop song and everyone's singing along." There he is wrong, as he is making some the best pop music in a while ands we should all sing along. The best song to sing along to on the album La La Lie, which talks a fun approach to the musical scale that seem to frequent pop songs. Even when MFEO parts 1 & 2 run for eight minutes, the song never seem to drag on at any point.

One misstep is Dark Blue where the chorus doesn't come together for me. I can't get into this song just yet. The slowed down Rescued doesn't quite fit on the album either. It's not necessarily a bad song, but it sticks out from the other bouncy songs on the album.

I was not a fan of Something Corporate or Jack's Mannequin when I heard "Everything In Transit," but after hearing the album, I need to get my hands on everything that Andrew McMahon has ever done. This album is the first one in a long time that has made me dance, think, sing, and cry all at one time. It is truly powerful music, especially considering Andrew's story and his struggles with his health. This is a definite must-own for anyone.

as a big fan of something corporate, i picked up 'everything in transit' just to see what andrew was up to and if it was any good. i was shocked! jack's mannequin has surpassed something corporate as my favorite band and is amazing live. i would recommend this cd to anyone who is a fan of something corporate, cartel, yellowcard, the starting line, snow patrol, etc.
it is truly touching to know that there is someone out there who believes in the power of words and music, as andrew mcmahon clearly does. this cd will leave you thinking, which is the best that we can ask for in music nowadays.

Jack's Mannequin's "Everything in Transit" is an emotional masterpiece and arguably Andrew McMahon's best musical venture to date. Perhaps a more apt title would be "Everything Done Right" since indeed this album was handled brilliantly from start to finish, and even the presentation was dazzling.

Though many say "Transit" closely resembles McMahon's earlier works with Something Corporate the two do indeed have differences. While Something Corporate represents more of a marriage of piano and electric guitar creating a piano-rock fusion, Jack's Mannequin is more piano oriented with something of a pop flair.

As the album's cover asserts, "this is a story", and quite so, an idea reinforced by the segmentation of songs into chapters. The story opens with the upbeat, sunny Southern California track "Holiday From Real", a song about appearances that perhaps mask a not-so-happy interior to the LA life. From there the following song, "The Mixed Tape", opens with a more rock centered mood then slips in an energetic piano toward the chorus, all the while the lryics lightly reveal a growing conflict.

The album switches gears in "Bruised" and takes on a more desperate-laden tone underlined by the line "sometimes perfection can be...it can be perfect hell". Here it becomes more apparent that the piano is leading the way musically, casting a darker mood to the disco-like background. McMahon explores different territory in "I'm Ready", especially in his implementation of spoken lines in the middle of the song. "I'm Ready" seems to offer a somewhat morbid acceptance of a life gone awry to the sound of an energetic piano.

"La La Lie" offers a sing-along quality to this chapter that attempts to reaffirm the narrator in his situation. The harmonica solo is particularly notable in this tune. In "Dark Blue" the story's conflict comes its climax when the self-comforting tactics fail and the narrator is faced to see "the planets in a row, suggesting it's best that I slow down". The song, in a way, symbolizes the epiphany that, no, things are not ok, that one can be "alone in a crowded room".

From there the more pop-oriented "Miss Delaney" tells the tale of a rebound relationship that failed to replace the narrator's original happiness and questioning the falling apart of his former love. Though the song may sound catchy and happy (and feel a lot like a song from the Beach Boys), the lyrics reveal the true tone of the song. The action falls after this in "Kill the Messenger", a gloomy yet hopeful apology with Asian instrumental influences. The piano really takes center stage in this piece, working to emphasize angst emotion.

"Rescued" is a particularly dark, yet beautiful piece that also brings the piano to the foreground. The narrator, at an emotional low, asks not to be helped and seems to be content to make it through by himself, especially present in the line "I'm following myself just this once". From there, "MFEO" is quite a drastic change that, as suggested by the album, is the story's denouement. The first part, "Made For Each Other" is a celebration of friendship in a style that highly resembles The Beatle's "Penny Lane"; easy going, upbeat and jovial. The second, "You Can Breathe", is a flawlessly constructed track driven by a powerful rhythm and accented by a fluttering piano. The lyrics claim that while "you can breathe but the air is running out", it offers an optimistic solution in "the rain's the rain, some air'd be good for you" asserting that because life is short and bad things are bad and won't change, it's best just to enjoy life.

Finally, the "bonus chapter", "Into the Airwaves", is a catchy poetic piece that is very piano driven. The song reiterates "MFEO"s positive outlook and closes the album with the advice "it's gonna be a hard day, but don't panic, there simply is no need", wisdom that everyone can take to heart.

In short, there simply is not a single track on this album that anybody will not enjoy. Every song is a toe-tapping rollercoaster that will leave you wanting more far after the CD is over. If you enjoy the Beatles, piano rock, pop, The Beach Boys or just need a dose of good, authentic music, then pick up a copy of Jack's Mannequin's "Everything in Transit". You won't be sorry that you did ;).

This is honestly one of the best albums I have heard all year. I can't begin to explain the feelings I get when I hear this music. From "Rescued" to "Bruised" to the gem of the album "Dark Blue". "Dark Blue" has to be one of the greatest songs I have ever heard. It is so simple, yet so intricate at the same time. I URGE you to give Jack a chance, you will not be disappointed!

When I first heard about this CD I was pumped. I couldn't wait for more from Andrew McMahon, but I was confused as to why this wasn't going to just be a new Something Corporate album. I was also confused as to how this CD would be different from a new Something Corporate musically, lyrically, and emotionally. When I listened through "Everything in Transit," it all made sense.

For starters, if you're a fan of Something Corporate, you WILL love this CD. The same beautiful and catchey pop/rock hooks with piano that make Something Corporate so awesome abound throughout this CD, yet Jack's Mannequin is instantly an entirely different monster than Something Corporate has ever been. To quote the album cover, "this is a story." The songs are written from a much closer/inner circle into Andrew's life. Where Andrew's Something Corporate songs were vague, Andrew's Jack's Mannequin songs are forthright and honest. These songs tell a story of love and loss, happiness and sadness, but most importantly, they tell a story of a life. A fun, amazingly touching life that needed to be brought forward and told in a way that Something Corporate could never do. Yes these songs are Andrew, but it's obvious after listening through this remarkable CD why none of these songs could ever be SoCo songs, they just don't fit.

"Everything in Transit" is more experimental sonically than anything Andrew has done with Something Corporate. Also, the CD is noticeably less guitar oriented with the absence of Josh Partington's (Something Corporate's remaining founding guitar player) writing contributions. It doesn't "rock" as hard as what we've heard from Andrew in the past, but that doesn't keep it from rocking. These songs have an emotional buildup that just screams as the CD goes along, and it's truly awesome to hear. I can't wait for Andrew to heal up and get out on the road to promote this baby. Live these songs are amazing.

Jack's Mannequin is my "sleeper" album of the year. It made me smile like I hadn't smiled since "North" came out two years ago. This CD is awesome. Pick it up!

I was skeptical when I first heard about Jack's Mannequin. As a long-time Something Corporate fan, I thought that Andrew's joining of a new group could mean the end of a wonderful collaberation that brought us so many brilliant and emotionally powerful songs.

I am happy to say that "Everything In Transit" not only matches the quality of some of Andrew's previous work, but surpasses it in some instances as well.

Every song on this album deserves five stars and I cannot wait to see Jack's Mannequin on tour this summer. I have no regrets about this purchase, and in keeping this review short and simple: If you enjoy the maturity, poetic credability and uniqueness of Something Corporate, then buy this album NOW.